Every year almost half of the adult population in the United States tries to lose weight through exercise, activities, and diet plans. One of the most successful and popular ways to lose weight is to bring a change in your diet.
Since a sheer number of diet plans available in the market made it difficult for you to opt for the best one but how to know which diet is best for me when I am more conscious about the effectiveness of the diet plans and the sustainability of the results.
Many diets aim to control your appetite so as to reduce your food consumption, whereas others want you to restrict your calorie, carbs, and sometimes fat intake. Other than that, many others focus on your health regardless of weight loss. Later in the article, you will find the 8 best diet plans that focus on weight loss and help in keeping you healthy at the same time.
1. Intermittent Fasting
A dietary strategy that evolves between the intervals of eating and fasting. Several versions of intermittent fasting are there. One of them is the 16/8 method, which limits your calorie consumption to 8 hours a day, another is 5/2 which limits your calorie up to 1000-1200 calories in the course of 1 week.
How does the diet work?
In intermittent fasting, you are allowed to have foods at certain timings which enables you to eat less, and from this way, you reduce your calorie intake a swell. Reduction in calorie consumption makes it easier to shed weight unless you eat extensively in your eating hours.
Weight loss: According to one study, when intermittent fasting was practiced for 3- 24 weeks, it caused 3-8% weight loss to the individuals which is particularly a greater effect than other dietary strategies.
In the same study, it was revealed that the waist circumference has also reduced through intermittent fasting by 4-7% which is assumed to be the harmful belly fat marker.
Other benefits: Several benefits can be attained through intermittent fasting other than weight loss, such as improved brain health and insulin sensitivity with a decrease in inflammation.
2. Plant-based Diets
In addition to the diets for weight loss, plant-based diets are the popular ones. Veganism and vegetarianism are some of them which keep you from eating products that come from animals for health, environmental, and ethical reasons. Research shows that in weight loss goals, plant-based diets work best for dietitians.
Although, if you are not someone that can skip every animal product, then there are flexitarian plant-based diets as well which allow you to eat animal-based products at moderate levels.
How does the diet work?
Vegetarianism and veganism come in many versions, but various versions focus on eliminating poultry, meat, and seafood from the diet. Similar to vegans who avoid milk and egg as well.
In a vegan diet, all animal products are restricted even honey, gelatin, casein, dairy, and albumin. For flexitarian diets, no clear procedures are defined, as it is viewed as a change in lifestyle other than a diet. The diet consists of eating fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits but allows you to eat animal products and protein in moderation.
Other benefits: Many other benefits are associated with plant-based diets. They reduce chronic health conditions such as certain cancers, heart diseases, and diabetes. Plus, dietitians rely on them because these diets sustain more than any other meat-based diet.
3. Low Carb Diets
People often opt for low-carb diets when it comes to weight loss aims such as keto diets, Atkins diets, and LCHF (low-carb, high-fat) diets. Some versions of low-carb diets reduce the carbs intake even drastically compared to others. For example, a low-carb diet Keto limits micronutrients up to 10% as others limit it to 30% or less.
How does the diet work?
The low-carb diets are rich in protein in contrast to low-fat diets, where protein helps you to control your appetite, conserve muscle mass, and increase metabolism. In keto, your body uses fatty acids to produce energy by changing them into ketones. The process is known as Ketosis.
Other benefits: According to research, a low-carb diet works effectively in reducing the risk of heart disease by maintaining blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Besides, people with type 2 diabetes are highly recommended to opt for a low-carb diet, as it can control insulin and blood sugar levels.
4. The Paleo diet
The diet refers to the consumption of foods that your ancestors allegedly ate. That means skipping every western diet. According to the paleo diet, a human body is not designed to process dairy, grains, and legumes.
How does the diet work?
The Paleo diet encourages eating whole foods, lean meat, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruits. It restrains dietitians from the consumption of sugar, grains, processed foods, and dairy. However, in some flexible versions of the diet, some dairy products are allowed such as cheese.
Other benefits: Adhering to paleo diets several risks of chronic diseases can be reduced including heart diseases, cholesterol, high blood pressure, and triglyceride levels.
5. Low-fat Diets
Similar to low-carb diets, low-fat diets are popular for ages. In low-fat diets, you are allowed to take 30% of fat through your daily calorie intake. Some drastic low-fat diets limit your fat intake up to 10% or less.
How does the diet work?
The purpose of restricting fat from the diet is to cut down calories from your daily intake, as the fat brings along a double number of calories per gram. To compensate for the energy requirements micronutrients, carbs and protein can be taken up to 10%, 80%, and 10% respectively.
Other benefits: Likewise, other weight-loss diets, low-fat diets reduce risks of health problems like stroke, sugar spikes, and inflammation. It also improves markers of diabetes.
6. The Mediterranean Diet
The diet is solely based on the foods that the people of Greece and Italy used to eat. However, it was significantly designed to reduce the risks of heart diseases, but several studies indicate that the Mediterranean diet is effective in weight loss as well.
How does the diet work?
Certain limitations and restrictions are linked with Mediterranean diets. Foods that include dairy products, poultry, eggs, and red meat are encouraged to consume in moderation whereas refined oils, processed foods, sugar, trans-fats are strictly restricted.
On the contrary, nuts, seeds, tubers, seafood, legumes, fish, vegetables, and fruits can be taken with extra virgin olive oil.
Other benefits: Many foods that the Mediterranean diet encourages to consume are rich in antioxidants that help in combating inflammation by neutralizing free radicals. The diet also helps in reducing premature death risks and sudden heart strokes.
7. Weight Watchers (WW)
Weight watchers are among the popular weight loss diet that is followed by millions of people worldwide. Since it does not limit you from any food consumption but people adhering to WW must watch daily points of calories, carbs, and fat content to lose weight gradually.
How does the diet work?
Weight watchers are based on the quantity of the nutrients that are assigned to several beverages and fruits according to their fat, fiber, and calorie content. To gain weight loss benefits, you must stick to the assigned value for the daily intake.
Other benefits: The weight watcher diet can be easily followed as it is flexible in selecting your own meal plan. Some people restrict dairy products especially those who have food allergies.
8. Dash Diet
Dash diets are specifically designed to help people suffering from high blood pressure which is called hypertension clinically. Dash’s diet focuses on consuming plenty of vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, fruits, and foods that are low in fat, added sugar, and fat.
However, the dash diet was not particularly designed for weight loss, people who followed it reported that they noticed a significant change in their weight loss.
How does the diet work?
Diversified food groups are encouraged to consume in the dash diet. You have to look for calorie intake to prepare your servings for the day.
For instance, a person with a dash diet would eat 7 healthy carbs servings, 5 vegetable servings, 5 fruit servings, 2 low-fat dairy products serving, 2 lean meat servings as his daily intake.
Other benefits: The dash diet has performed incredibly in lowering blood pressure levels and in preventing women from chronic diseases such as colorectal and breast cancer.
The Bottom Line
Some of the popular weight-loss diets include low-fat diets, keto diets, paleo diets, plant-based diets, weight watchers, intermittent fasting, and dash diets. So which diet is best for you solely depends on your aims and your lifestyle preferences. This will enable you to stick to them to have sustainable results.